Edmonton’s rainy summer is coming with a hefty price tag for the city.
Damage from this summer’s storms could cost Edmonton between $20–$30 million, said city manager Eddie Robar.
That estimate is not including the most recent storm damage from Saturday or Monday.
“We had a pretty anomalous winter season, followed by a very anomalous summer season. From an infrastructure, or an impact or money perspective, we’re seeing a bigger impact from the rain in the summer here than we had in the winter,” said Robar.
Multiple storms of heavy rain and high winds have passed through Edmonton this summer, causing flooded roadways, cancelled events, power outages and downed trees.
But things could have been worse if the city had not invested in food mitigation, Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack said.
The City of Edmonton and utility provider Epcor are seven years into a 20-year — and $1.6 billion — flood mitigation plan, which aims to improve the city’s drainage system to slow and move storm water away from high-risk areas.
“We’re starting to see the benefits of that work,” Knack said, noting Yellowhead Trail and Whitemud Drive, which have been partially washed out after multiple storms this summer, are in the process of being upgraded to reduce future flooding.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack says the city has invested heavily into flood prevention. (Radio-Canada)
The program is a combination of creating new stormwater management ponds and updating utility infrastructure, starting with the most high-risk areas in the city, said Knack.
Though rain has still managed to flood parts of Edmonton, the city has a more positive outlook than in previous years, Knack said.
“The areas that were flooding 10 or 15 years ago that had significant property damage … have not experienced the same type of impact this time around because of this work. I want to make sure people have comfort in that.”
To help pay for storm damage, the city has applied to the province’s Hazard Assistance and Resilience Program (HARP), which can reimburse municipalities for up to 90 per cent of eligible disaster costs.
June’s storms caused roughly $26 million in uninsurable loss and damage, the city said in a news release earlier this week. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada Edmonton storms have caused $230M in insured damages in May and June.
In Alberta’s budget, $2 million is earmarked for the province to respond to disasters and emergencies, said Juliana Rodriguez, the press secretary for Minister of Treasury Board and Finance Jason Nixon, in a statement to CBC News on Tuesday.
HARP approval times vary depending on the complexity of any given application, said Brendan Cox, a spokesperson for Public Safety and Emergency Services.
“The Alberta Emergency Management Agency’s dedicated recovery co-ordinators and case managers have been working closely with communities throughout the process and are available every step of the way to help navigate applications and claims,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Right now, the city is looking forward, hoping to learn if its flood mitigation plan is enough for a changing climate, said Knack.
“We have to make sure our city is flood resilient and prepared for this reality.”